Holbrook man stole dealer's car, police say

A Holbrook man was arrested after police say he stole a car from the Milford Auto Mall after his credit application for the car was denied.

Anthony Davidson, 33, of 764 Plymouth St., faces charges of breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony, larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny over $250.

The alleged crime occurred sometime overnight May 29 into May 30, but police arrested him near his home in Holbrook May 31.

Police first became aware of the damage to the building - a shattered window - around 5:30 a.m. May 30. The business owner arrived on scene shortly after and noticed three missing keys: two for a 2008 and 2005 Audi and another for a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis.

After a check of the vehicle lot, only the Mercury Grand Marquis was missing.

According to Detective Robert Pavia, employees at the dealership were suspicious when after test driving the car and filling out a credit application, he left on foot but got into another Grand Marquis a short distance away from the dealership.

Police immediately began investigating Davidson after discovering the break and the missing car and learned that a Grand Marquis registered to Davidson was discovered at the scene of a commercial break in Hopkinton before the alleged theft from the Milford Auto Mall.

Pavia said police don’t know how Davidson made it to the dealership from Hopkinton.

Police began watching his mother’s home in Holbrook and located the vehicle Wednesday. He was then seen getting in the vehicle, but police arrested him before he could drive away, Pavia said.

The vehicle identification number was defaced on two different locations on the vehicle, but police were able to find a third that matched the number on file at the dealership, Pavia said.

Davidson has a lengthy criminal record, Pavia said, including four active warrants from different jurisdictions throughout the state.

Police are also investigating whether Davidson is part of a larger organized effort to steal vehicles, Pavia said.

Davidson is set to be arraigned in Milford District Court at a later date. On June 1 he was arraigned in Quincy District Court, but details of the arraignment weren’t immediately available.

He also faces charges from the Wayland Police Department after police say he was seen on camera stealing items from Wayland Automotive on May 23. He faces four charges of larceny over $250, one charge of malicious destruction of property and one charge of breaking and entering in the nighttime.

Police say he stole four sets of car keys worth $1,000.

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.